The sun slowly rose, the birds chirped, and the wind blew through my window. I slept ever so peacefully when a tiny drop fell on my nose. I opened my eyes only to find my dog drooling over my face.
I chuckled a little and petted him. I got out of bed and went to clean my dirty face. I freshened up and went down to have my breakfast. My mom smiled and said, " Don't you have school today? You woke up late." I sipped water and said, " I thought I told you. There's no school because the classrooms were getting renovated." I ate a piece of bread. My mom returned to cooking toast while my dad was reading the newspaper.
"What's today's news, Dad?" I asked as he seemed more interested in the last page of the newspaper. " There's just news about some new magician who came to town. It says he made a person disappear and reappear in a public toilet." He said, amused.
" Do you actually believe that? That sounds fake to me," I said.
"I know it does, but don't you think it's a bit weird that the President himself met him personally?" Dad said, panning the newspaper towards me. That's when I saw that the President had given him an award.
" Now that's ridiculous. " I said, snorting. " Nate, can you please buy some eggs and milk? We're all out. " "Yes, Mom. I had to buy some laundry detergent as well. I'll leave in a minute. " I returned to my room, made my bed, wore my shoes and went out. It was a normal day. Children were running around, people ran to work, cabs here and there, shops were bustling with customers, and a dog was walking his owner... wait, what?
Anyway, I walked into the store only to find a huge crowd gathered near the entrance. I tried to jump up to see what happened. I don't know what happened, but I heard a lot of cameras.
I somehow passed through the crowd and tried my best not to get suffocated. I looked around and found no one. I was confused. I asked the person next to me, " Why is everyone gathered here? What happened? " " Did you not hear? That amazing magician is going to appear suddenly in front of us. That's why we are waiting for him to appear." She said, taking a video of... Practically nothing.
I got fed up and left the store. I went to the local bakery and bought the milk and eggs. Since the bakery was kind of far from my house, I chose to take a small alleyway. That was a huge mistake. As soon as I took a turn, I saw a few shady-looking people. One of them was counting money, one of them was holding a bat, and another one was loading a... GUN! I tried to turn back, but more people were standing behind me.
I got scared and dropped my essentials. One guy, who looked like the head Honcho, walked up to me, and I ended up backing up against the wall.
He walked closer and said, " Give me your wallet." " I don't have one ", I said, looking at my fallen bag.
He noticed where I was looking and signalled his men to pick up my bag. I started feeling dizzy and nauseous.
The boss noticed it and held my chin, making me face him. " You're not fainting until I tell you to. " Suddenly, I heard someone whistling. I looked to my right, squinting my eyes. A man wearing a black hat and a brown trench coat walked towards us.
"Now, that's not how you treat a high-schooler ", was all I heard from the stranger before I lost consciousness.
After a few minutes, I was slowly awakened by the stranger. At first, I squinted my eyes and was taken aback as I was still recovering from the shock. "It's okay. I saved you ", he said, giving me a water bottle. I drank some water and looked around. No one was there.
"Umm, where is everyone? " I said, rubbing my head. "Don't worry about them. They are where they belong." He said, giving me a tablet. " Take this, You'll feel better. " I took it immediately because I knew I had bought It. "Thank you so much. But who are you, and why would you save me?" I said, honestly confused." First of all, you're welcome. But frankly, I don't think my information is of any use," he said, dusting his hands.
"My work is done here. I'll leave now. Please don't stay here too long, or else they may return. I also bought all your groceries, so don't worry about going home empty-handed." he said, smiling at me.
" But can I at least know your name? " I asked as a final request. " You are a lucky one, you know that? Of all the people in the world, you're the only one I'm telling my name to," he said, giggling like a little kid.
There was an odd silence, then finally... "It's Ian," he said before walking into the distance. " And don't worry, we will meet again. Soon." was all he said before he disappeared. I was still a little taken aback by the whole event. But I left as soon as possible. I ensured I looked proper because I didn't want my parents to realise. I walked through the front door and saw my parents standing rock solid before the TV.
I got confused and went to see what happened. My eyes widened as soon as I saw what was streaming on the news. "16-year-old boy saved by the unknown magician from thugs who planned to steal from the boy..." I froze. The person who saved me was... A MAGICIAN?!? "... And the thugs have disappeared from the spot. We have not yet received any reports from the police as to what happened, but all we know is that those thugs are never coming back." News reporters, police cars, and people crowded around the scene.
I mentally panicked seeing all this. They even showed a video of it, but thankfully, my face was blurred out, and I relaxed. That darned magician must have taken the video and sent it to all the news channels. What a publicity act!
I was about to walk away when, " Nate, is there something you're not telling us? " My dad asked. I turned around slowly and gulped.
"What do you mean?" I tried to avoid the question. " can you tell me..." I panicked, "... Why did you come late? You know how worried we were?" I sighed in relief. "Oh, about that. The department store was loaded with customers, so I had to go to the local bakery." I said, smiling.
" Then why is your grocery bag covered in mud? " Dad said, pointing at the bag. I looked down and saw the bottom and side was smeared in mud." Oh, some guy was riding a bike at a high speed and went over a puddle. That muddy water splashed over the bag. " I said, resting the bag on the kitchen table. " There's some on you as well. Go clean up, and I'll make something to drink." " Okay, Mom!" I said excitedly as I ran back to my room, quickly changing my clothes and washing up.
"Nate drinks time! " " Coming, Mom." I ran down the stairs only to get thoroughly disappointed. My annoying neighbour had come to join us for the drinks. "Mom, why? " I said, cringing at my neighbour. " That's not how you treat your friend, Nate."
"I don't understand how I and Andria are friends here, " I scoffed. "Jokes aside, who wants drinks?" " ME! " we both answered. We had a staring competition for about a minute before drinking the juice.
I saw Andria drinking from her glass, and I got an idea. Not a good one, though... I slowly scooted near her and hit the bottom of her glass, making the juice fall all over her. " Nate, you little- " she ran behind me like a snail. " haha slow poke." I sneered at her.
"No running in the house, Kids. I don't want you guys to break another door frame. " Mom said, chuckling. "Sorry, Mom," I said, standing apologetically. That resulted in me getting hit on the head by Andria. I deserved it, though...
"Hey, Isn't that you? " Andria said, pointing at the TV. I looked at the screen and gaped out loud. Everyone looked at me as though I was a ghost.
"16-year-old Nate Haynes was the boy who got attacked by alley riff-raffs who was later saved by the World-renowned magician. Reports say that he made the entire gang disappear. He did all this just to save this little boy. We really need to thank him for helping civilians like Nate..." I immediately facepalmed. My dad suddenly approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. I felt intimidated.
"Why didn't you tell us, son?" My mind was blank. "I didn't want to worry you guys. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." I choked on a tear.
I started tearing up. My dad hugged me and comforted me. "It's okay. At least you're alright." He said, smiling. Before I had the chance to smile back, we heard vehicles and all sorts of noises outside. I slowly peeped through the curtain and saw tons of news reporters outside.
"Ian, I swear to God. " I ran to my bedroom to close my curtains when, " Oh hey there, Nate." The magician said, sitting on my bed. "Whoa- what are you doing here? " I was so confused. "I may have found a way inside, but first of all, you need to get of here. Those reporters won't leave unless they see you." he said with a concerned look. "Well, I know that. But why did you reveal me? This is not how I wanted to spend my holiday." I said, peeping out. One person managed to get a shot of me. I cringed.
"Wait, aren't you the magician?" Andria said, barging into my room. I immediately covered her mouth and pulled her in.
"Don't shout, Andria. I don't want the whole family to know he's here." I said, taking a deep breath.
"Why? He's the one who saved you." "Well, he's also the reason why news reporters are swarming our house," I said grumpily.
"What gave you the idea that I leaked the video?" he asked, getting up. "I didn't get my phone today." he smiled softly. " Then who took that video and gave it to the press? And how do they know me? " My mind was filled with questions.
"Check your phone. The CCTV footage also got leaked." I immediately opened my phone and clicked on Google. I searched for the footage, and I started watching. First, it showed me going into the alleyway. After that, all the thugs arrived. Then, slowly, near the end of the footage, a guy almost my age walked around the curb wearing a Lakers jersey.
I noticed something on that jersey of his. My eyes widened. I... remember that jersey as clear as day. I gifted that jersey to one of my closest school friends, Sam. That was Sam who took the video. "It's my classmate, Sam."
I said, smiling. But then there was some audio as well, which disturbed me terribly. "Hey, look. It's Nate. Look at that loser. How pathetic. He can't even fight back." Sam said, laughing out loud. How did I not hear that? "Look, he just passed out. Wow, he is surprisingly weak." His gang said. They finished recording and then left out of frame.I just stood there, silent.
I couldn't believe my best friend, or who I thought was my friend, to backstab me like that. I held my head and slowly sat down. "How could he..."
"That's not what we should be thinking about, Nate. We still need to figure out a way to get rid of these reporters." Ian said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"You're right! Come on. Let's go down." I said, opening the door. But my family members were already standing outside my door. I gulped. "It's nice to meet you, Sir. I'm really sorry if my mannerless son hasn't welcomed you properly.
He can be a menace at times." Dad said, giving me a massive hit on the head. "...Ow."
"No, It's okay. I understand why he's angry with me. I technically am the reason why he's so famous." Ian said, protecting me for some reason. I just smiled.
"Now it's not the time to get close. We gotta get out of here." Ian said, catching everyone off guard. We all ran down the stairs and went towards the basement, but I didn't feel like running away for some reason. "Nate, hurry up!"
"...I don't want to run." Ian stared at me. He walked over and ruffled my hair.
"Do what your mind tells you to do." He said, smiling. I smiled back and walked towards the door. I held the doorknob and turned around nervously. He stood there smiling and motioned me to go on. I slowly twisted the doorknob and was met by bright, blinding lights.
It took a while, but I fought through it. I was exhausted after the entire event but happy that it all ended.
I lay on my bed, wondering how I wanted to spend my holiday and how it ended.
Ian entered the room, removed his hat and sat beside me." Tough day, huh? " "Yeah, A tiring one too. " I laughed. "Welcome to my life, kid! " Ian said, laughing too. "Can I ask you something?" I looked at Ian. "Do you have any siblings? " That was an odd question.
"I did have an elder brother, but I don't know what he looks like because he died when I was very young," I said, sighing. "I wish he were here. He'd be just like you." I said, smiling. That caught Ian off guard.
"Oh, I'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. " I said, trying to reassure Ian. "It's okay. I understand. I also had a younger brother, but I could never spend my childhood with him as I got kicked out of my house when I was your age."
My eyes widened. "Why?" "Well, It's personal, but I'm willing to tell you," I sat there in awe." I had the best family and the best little brother ever! My life was honestly amazing.
I was a straight-A student. My parents were rich And they were doing well in their business. But that all went down very quickly. Not long after, their company went bankrupt and wasn't doing well financially.
We had to sell our house and all the other lovely things and lived in a 3 bhk apartment. I had to drop out of school because we couldn't afford tuition. I was a spoiled kid back then.
When my parents had saved up enough money to start a new business, I stole that money and used it for my benefit. My parents found out and kicked me out of the house." I teared up. "That's sad. Did you meet them or your brother?" I asked, wiping my eyes.
"I've seen them a few times, and from what I know, they're doing good. But I don't want to intrude on them. I don't want to spoil their life. " He said, smiling.
"But don't you have the urge to walk up to them and give them a big hug?" "I do, I really do. But I don't have the courage to."
" Don't worry. One day, you'll run up to them and give them a big hug." I said, smiling at him. He was taken aback by the sudden response but smiled back.
"Kids, come for dinner!" Mom called from downstairs. We both loosened up and went down to see an array of food items on the table. Before I even knew it, my mouth was already filled with saliva.
"This is precisely what I needed after such a long day." I didn't even bother to wash my hands.
"Mrs Haynes, he's doing it again," Andrea said, eating her food as though she was tied. "Shut up, Andria. It's not like you're eating your food, either. Mind if I take it? " I said, stealing her plate. I ran to my room, both plates in hand, and locked my door. Andria ran behind me and was hitting the door.
Ian laughed at the interaction. "So, tell us more about yourself, Ian." Dad asked. Ian looked at him and said. "You already know me. Why would you want to know more about me?"
"What do you mean? We've never met." I came out of the room and heard them. Andria and I hid behind the railing and started listening to their convo.
"How about I remind you of the person you happened to kick out?" Their eyes widened. "Jimmy?" My mom broke down in tears. I was still confused, but then it hit me... The people who kicked him out were my parents!?
Wait, so that means his little brother was... ME! Andria just looked at me, curious.
"You know what that means, Nate?" I knew what he meant. That's why he was nervous to talk to them.
I got up and ran, just ran downstairs. Ian looked at me. It all came to me at once. HE was the person who took care of me. HE was the person who taught me to walk. Those were the eyes I stared into when I was born. No wonder he felt familiar.
A small drop trickled down my face. Ian's serious face softened after seeing me.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I said, breaking down. "I was afraid. I had no intention of hiding this from you. I'm sorry." He said, walking towards me.
I just turned my head away from him in anger. "Hey, don't do that. I didn't do that when you peed on me." I chuckled.
I plucked up the courage and looked at him in the eye.
I fought back the urge to punch him and hugged him so tightly I could hear his knuckles crack. He regretted it.
"That's enough. You're squeezing the living daylights out of me." He said, laughing. I cried and laughed at the same time. Sounds dramatic...
"Oh, and I got you something," "What?" I broke the hug. He reached into his pockets and removed a wristwatch. "Hey, You kept that?" Dad said, smiling in disbelief.
"I only kept it because I wanted to gift him this watch on his 15th birthday, But..." I just snatched it from his hand and walked off. He just chuckled at my cuteness.
"...I love it. Thanks... brother." I said, smiling. But there was only one thing I didn't notice: My brother was on his knees, crying his heart out. I looked back and ran to him.
"Don't cry, Jimmy. You know I don't have the time and energy to buy you a lollipop." I said jokingly. He laughed between every sob. He got up and ruffled my hair. "Fine, But you're the only rat I'm listening to." He said. "You're so dead." I head-butted him right on his nose (since I could only reach there)
"I'm definitely calling you a rat from now on." We all group hugged after this. My doggo slowly approached us and started wagging his tail for Jimmy. "You still remember me. What a good boy." Jimmy said, petting him.
"Wait, so I'm confused," Andria said, coming down the stairs. "So now, I won't have anyone to annoy?" I softened. "Of course you will. You have me." I said, giving her a bear hug.
Jimmy just cringed at the moment, and my parents were being all coy.
Over the months, we bonded together and lived our lives happily. Until...
"Dad, did you see the news? Jimmy is all over the headlines." I switched on the TV and saw...
"27-year-old Special Magician Ian Laurel is arrested for keeping thugs in his basement without giving them anything to eat. A record of over four deaths and 27 injured from internal injuries. The police are still investiga..." This can't be happening...